AFormanyparents,raisingateenag-优题课

The man with the bullhorn encouraged the runners as they made their way up the hill. “Two hours, fifteen minutes, forty seconds ...”His deep, loud voice boomed toward us.
It was mile 17 of the marathon.
“Hey, great stride!” a bearded viewer yelled to me. He clapped loudly. “You’re looking strong. Keep going—go, go, go!”
You bet I’m looking strong, I thought, as I followed my younger sister, Laura. I just got started. She had been diligently clocking eight-minute miles since the race had begun downtown. Initially in the middle of a pack, which was several thousand people, she had been steadily passing other runners for the past 10 miles or so. We were now on the relatively steep rise to the St. Cecelia Bridge. Once we crossed, we would begin heading back into town, running along the east side of the Rincon River. Laura had asked me to run the most difficult section of the marathon with her. Not having trained for anything more challenging than a quick walk, and with no experience running in organized events, I figured I might be good for two or three miles.
Up ahead, steel drums were playing. A group of drummers was beating their drums, chanting, and encouraging us with their music and smiles. Crossing the bridge, I recalled the advice in the Marathon Handbook. During my preview of the route, it had seemed like a babyish thing to do. But now it seemed like a fine idea, and I spat magnificently over the side of the bridge.
“I read the handbook, too!” said a woman behind me, who also let loose over the side of the bridge. We had now started a chain reaction of bridge spitters. It was quite a sight, but I had other things to occupy my attention, namely the back of Laura’s sweater.
Easing off the bridge, and heading south on Avila Boulevard, Laura and I found our pace together again. Here we could hang to the left of the group and enjoy some brief conversation. “You keeping up okay?” she asked. Being her older brother, and therefore unable to admit weakness, I nodded convincingly.
“Hey, Lee!” yelled a waving man on the sidewalk. Immediately pleased that my marathon efforts had been recognized by someone I knew, I waved back and reflected on the importance of wearing tie-dyed clothing to a road race of this size. It made it a lot easier to be spotted!
The town marathon is a “people’s” marathon in that it tends to be a family affair, with the runners and spectators creating a festival atmosphere. I managed to run six miles before bowing out, and Laura finished the entire race in under four hours. I now pride myself on telling people that I ran in a marathon. The distinction between having run a marathon and having run in a marathon seems unimportant. If pressed, however, I’ll admit that I only ran one-fourth of one.
Inspired by this year’s experience, I plan to walk the course--really fast--next year. It’s not because I’m jealous of my sister’s accomplishment. This is not some silly competition in which I must do whatever she does. Rather, Laura got free cookies at the finish line, and the promise of that will lead me to any goal.
Why did the author write this story________?

A．to explain how marathons are won

B．to tell about the history of marathons

C．to tell a story about a marathon experience

D．to show how difficult running in a marathon can be

Why was Lee glad he wore a tie-dyed shirt?

A．It helped people locate him easily.

B．The shirt brought him good luck.

C．It added to the festival atmosphere.

D．The shirt was a favorite of Laura’s.

Which of the following words best describes Laura as she is presented in this passage?

A．competitive

B．foolish

C．comical

D．carefree

The tone of this passage is best described as _______.

A．tense and anxious	B．light and friendly
C．matter-of-fact	D．uninterested and bored

“Kill the fool!” “Murder the referee!”
These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let’s not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “adversary” “enemy”; “one who opposes your interests.” Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. At such times, winning may dominate one’s intellect, and every action, no matter how gross, may be considered justifiable. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player’s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed. “Are they wet enough now?”
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent’s international and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs there by setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “colleague”; “friend”; “companion.” Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent.”
Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view________?

A．Aggressive behavior in sports can have serious consequences.

B．The words people use can influence their behavior.

C．Unpleasant words in sports are often used by foreign athletes.

D．Unfair judgments by referees will lead to violence on the sports field.

Harsh words are spoken during games because the players ________.

A．are too eager to win

B．are usually short-tempered and easily offended

C．cannot afford to be polite in fierce competition

D．treat their rivals as enemies

What did the handball player do when he was not allowed a time out to change his gloves______?

A．He refused to continue the game.

B．He angrily hit the referee with a ball.

C．He claimed that the referee was unfair.

D．He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt.

The author hopes to have the current situation in sports improved by ________.

A．appealing to players to use clean language on the court

B．raising the referee’s sense of responsibility

C．changing the attitude of players on the sports field

D．regulating the relationship between players and referees

It was 3: 45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia's Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history.
The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia-where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part-other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia(安乐死). In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death-probably by a deadly injection or pill-to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a cooling off period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks, he says.
From the second paragraph we learn that ________.

A．the objection to euthanasia is slow to come in other countries

B．physicians and citizens share the same view on euthanasia

C．changing technology is chiefly responsible for the hasty passage of the law

D．it takes time to realize the significance of the law's passage

When the author says that observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling, he means ________.

A．observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of euthanasia

B．similar bills are likely to be passed in the US, Canada and other countries

C．observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes

D．the effect-taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop

When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will ________.

A．face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia

B．experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient

C．have an intense fear of terrible suffering

D．undergo a cooling off period of seven days

The author's attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of ________.

A．opposition	B．suspicion
C．approval	D．indifference

At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized major league baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me.
About a year later, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to play in an exhibition game. On the field, for the first time in Atlanta, there were Negroes and whites. Other Negroes besides me. And I thought: What I have always believed has come to be.
And what is it that I have always believed? First, that imperfections are human. But that wherever human beings were given room to breathe and time to think, those imperfections would disappear, no matter how slowly. I do not believe that we have found or even approached perfection. That is not necessarily in the scheme of human events. Handicaps, stumbling blocks, prejudices--all of these are imperfect. Yet, they have to be dealt with because they are in the scheme of human events.
Whatever obstacles I found made me fight all the harder. But it would have been impossible for me to fight at all, except that I was sustained by the personal and deep-rooted belief that my fight had a chance. It had a chance because it took place in a free society. Not once was I forced to face and fight an immovable object. Not once was the situation so cast-iron rigid that I had no chance at all. Free minds and human hearts were at work all around me; and so there was the probability of improvement. I look at my children now, and know that I must still prepare them to meet obstacles and prejudices.
But I can tell them, too, that they will never face some of these prejudices because other people have gone before them. And to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today's dogmas (教条) will have vanished by the time they grow into adults. I can say to my children: There is a chance for you. No guarantee, but a chance. And this chance has come to be, because there is nothing static with free people. There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from flowing forward. I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed in spite of any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe--and with every fiber in me--that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow.
I believe in the human race. I believe in the warm heart. I believe in man's honesty. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it--and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist. My fight was against the barriers that kept Negroes out of baseball. This was the area where I found imperfection, and where I was best able to fight. And I fought because I knew it was not doomed to be a losing fight. It couldn't be a losing fight-not when it took place in a free society. And in the largest sense, I believe that what I did was done for me--that it was my faith in God that sustained me in my fight. And that what was done for me must and will be done for others.
Why did the author say he had experienced a completely new emotion________?

A．Because he won game.

B．Because he was an American.

C．Because he could compete in the game and won the game.

D．Because the National Game was played for him.

From the passage, we know that the author is ___________.

A．an African.	B．a Chinese
C．a white man	D．a black man

The author firmly believed that____________.

A．humans are imperfect if they all unite together to overcome the difficulties.

B．humans needn’t approach perfect even if they can.

C．humans should face the obstacles and fight for it bravely.

D．humans are becoming kind and honest if they have freedom.

We can infer from the passage that_________.

A．the fight between Negroes and Whites never ends

B．the civil war broke out because the Negroes fought for their freedom

C．In the past Negroes were kept out of baseball.

D．the fight ended up with a game.

The underlined word ‘vanished’ most probably means __________

A．disappear

B．increase

C．appear

D．happen

The best title of this passage may be_________.

A．Nothing matters except fighting

B．Success lies in hard work

C．freedom is everything

D．Free Minds and Hearts makes a difference

The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts(文科) in higher education isn’t an either/or proposition(命题), although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM（science, technology, engineering, maths）-related fields can make it seem that way.
The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of technical training, but also states firmly that the study of the humanities and social sciences must remain central components of America’s educational system at all levels. Both are critical to producing citizens who can participate effectively in our democratic society, become creative leaders, and benefit from the spiritual enrichment that the reflection on the great ideas of mankind over time provides.
Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education worry about graduates’ job prospects as technological advances and changes in domestic and global markets transform professions in ways that reduce wages and cut jobs. Under these circumstances, it’s natural to look for what may appear to be the most “practical” way out of the problem “Major in a subject designed to get you a job” seems the obvious answer to some, though this ignores the fact that many disciplines in the humanities characterized as “soft” often, in fact, lead to employment and success in the long run. Indeed, according to surveys, employers have expressed a preference for students who have received a broadly-based education that has taught them to write well, think critically, research creatively, and communicate easily.
Moreover, students should be prepared not just for their first job, but for their 4th and 5th jobs, as there’s little reason to doubt that people entering the workforce today will be called upon to play many different roles over the course of their careers. The ones who will do the best in this new environment will be those whose educations have prepared them to be flexible. The ability to draw upon every available tool and insight--picked up from science, arts, and technology--to solve the problems of the future, and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves, will be helpful to them and the United States.
What does the latest congressional report suggest________?

A．STEM-related subjects help students find jobs in the information society.

B．Higher education should be adjusted to the practical needs of society.

C．The liberal arts in higher education help enrich students’ spiritual life.

D．The humanities and STEM subjects should be given equal importance.

What kind of job applicants do employers look for_______?

A．Those who have a strong sense of responsibility.

B．Those who are good at solving practical problems.

C．Those who are likely to become innovative leaders.

D．Those who have received an all-round education.

What advice does the author give to college students________?

A．Seize opportunities to explore their potential.

B．Try to take a variety of practical courses.

C．Adopt a flexible approach to solving problems.

D．catch as many chances as possible to change their jobs.

A．give orders to the other	B．know more than the other
C．gain respect from the other	D．get the other to behave properly

A．In a report.	B．In a letter.
C．In a novel.	D．In a textbook.